Awards

Golden Ambassador Award

At the Annual Autumn Glory Kick Off Event, the Golden Ambassador is announced. The winner of this award has made major contributions to tourism in Garrett County. Only Chamber members may nominate fellow Chamber members for this prestigious title.

To nominate someone for this award in 2023, please download and complete the nomination form and mail it to Sarah Duck, Garrett County Chamber of Commerce, 15 Visitors Center Drive McHenry, MD 21541 by Friday, September 8, 2023. The winner will be announced at the Garrett County Chamber of Commerce's annual Autumn Glory Kick-Off Event on October 11, 2023.

2022 Golden Ambassador Sponsor

2022 Golden Ambassador

The Garrett County Chamber of Commerce has named Peggy Jamison as the 2022 Honorary Golden Ambassador of the 55th Annual Autumn Glory Festival. The announcement was made at the Chamber’s Autumn Glory Kick-Off Reception on October 12, 2022. The Golden Ambassador sponsor was Vacasa and the Kick-Off Reception Sponsor was UPMC Western Maryland. Mountain State Brewing Company was the title sponsor of the 55th Annual Autumn Glory Festival.

The Golden Ambassador is awarded by the Garrett County Chamber of Commerce to a person who has contributed to and supported tourism in Garrett County. The Golden Ambassador is selected by a committee of former Golden Ambassador winners.

Peggy has a long history of involvement in Garrett County revitalization efforts over the last three decades. She played a pivotal role in Oakland becoming one of the first designated Main Street towns in Maryland, and served as President of the Oakland Main Street Committee. Peggy was also instrumental in Oakland obtaining their Arts & Entertainment designation, one of only two such designations in the County. She worked with former Oakland Mayor Asa McCain to secure funding for the rehabilitation and preservation of the Oakland B&O Train Station as a museum and she has assisted with the official Maryland State Banjo, Mandolin & Fiddle Championships held during Autumn Glory each year. Peggy assisted the Garrett County Development Corporation in not only establishing the Mountain Fresh Produce Association, which produces Oakland’s popular Mountain Fresh Farmers Markets, but also with the funding for the construction of Oakland’s Mountain Fresh Pavilion, which is the host site for the farmers markets, the Little Yough Summer Music Festival and the Little Yough Summer Family Flicks Series. Peggy has helped write countless grants for Garrett County, its municipalities and organizations, which have resulted in the development of millions of dollars’ worth of tourism attractions. Peggy worked to enhance the appearance of the town of Oakland including assisting with improvements to a variety of public spaces including Broadford Park, the Oakland Heritage trail, and Glades Park. She also worked with regional partners to have Garrett County designated as part of the Appalachian Forest National Heritage Area, which celebrates the Appalachian forest’s history, heritage, culture and natural resources.

For years, Peggy worked tirelessly to bring a designated Heritage Area to Garrett County. A state certified Heritage Area would offer Garrett County technical and financial assistance for heritage-related initiatives that preserve valuable heritage resources and enhance tourism. Finally, in 2011, Garrett County was certified as a designated heritage area, one of only thirteen in the state. Since Garrett County’s Mountain Maryland Gateway to the West Heritage Area’s inception in 2011, Peggy has served as Board Chair of Garrett County’s Mountain Maryland Gateway to the West Heritage Area since its inception in December 2011. Over the last decade, the Mountain Maryland Gateway to the West has worked to preserve and promote Garrett County’s historical, cultural and natural resources through grant funding, tourism promotion and revitalization and restoration, among other efforts. As a member of both the Heritage Area’s grants and marketing committees, Peggy assists in reviewing not only grant applications, but also the Heritage Area marketing plan and the application for their biennial marketing grant.

Peggy served as an Oakland Town Council member for 18 years and is a Past President of the Greater Oakland Business Association (GOBA). She was the acting Mayor of Oakland from July 2009 – March 2010, before serving as Mayor from 2010 – 2020. Peggy is a past president of the Allegany/Garrett Chapter of the Maryland Municipal League and she served many years on the Garrett Regional Medical Center Board of Governors including as Chair of the Board. She was a member of the Garrett County Recreational Trails Task Force and has served as Secretary of Garrett Trails. Peggy is a past Board member, President and Treasurer of the Garrett County Business and Professional Women of Maryland and a former Garrett County representative on the Maryland Department of the Environment’s Land Reclamation Committee. She was inducted into the Garrett County Commission for Women’s Hall of Fame in 2006 and into the Maryland Municipal League Hall of Fame in 2012. Peggy is a 2016 Asa M. McCain Spirt of Oakland award recipient, and, for her tireless volunteer work with the Mountain Maryland Gateway to the West Heritage Area, Peggy was recognized as the Garrett County Chamber of Commerce’s Volunteer of the Year in 2018.

Past Recipients of the Golden Ambassador

Diplomat of the Year Award

The Diplomat of the Year is determined through a points system given for membership packet distribution, Business After Hours Attendance, Business Before Hours Attendance, Diplomat meeting attendance, Ribbon Cuttings, Ground Breakings, Grand Opening & First Dollar of Profit Presentation Attendance and Recruiting New Members. The Garrett County Chamber of Commerce began recognizing a Diplomat of the Year in 2015.

2023 Diplomat of the Year Winner

The winner of the 2022-2023 Garrett County Chamber of Commerce Diplomat of the Year award was announced at the Garrett County Chamber of Commerce Membership Meeting & Dinner, held on Thursday, June 1, 2023. This year the award was presented to Connor Norman of Norman Networking & Promotions and Garrett County Department of Business Development.

As a Garrett County Diplomat, Connor made member outreach calls, attended every Diplomat committee meeting and many Business After Hours and a Business Before Hours event, helped in the distribution of both prospect and new member packets, attended all 19 ribbon cutting ceremonies, and referred 13 new members to the Chamber, achieving a new record of 657 total Diplomat points. This is Connor’s third time being awarded the Diplomat of the Year, having previously won in 2019 and 2020.

“Connor’s commitment to helping entrepreneurs succeed is evident to all who are involved with the local business community,” said Nick Sharps, Chamber Membership Development Manager. “We thank Connor for going above and beyond in service to the Chamber during this record-breaking year and we thank all of our Diplomats for their efforts.”

Past Recipients of the Volunteer of the Year Award

Volunteer of the Year Award

The Volunteer of the Year Award was established in 2011 and recognizes individuals who have provided outstanding service to the Garrett County Chamber of Commerce. The recipient of this award is selected by the staff of the Chamber and recognized at the Annual Dinner.

2023 Volunteer of the Year Winner

The recipient of the 2022-2023 Garrett County Chamber of Commerce Volunteer of the Year award was announced at the Garrett County Chamber of Commerce Membership Meeting & Dinner, held on Thursday, June 1, 2023. This year the Garrett County Chamber of Commerce presented the award to Laura Fike, Executive Director of Garrett Mentors, Inc. Laura Fike has been a member of the Garrett County Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors for nine years. In that time Laura served on the Board’s Executive Committee as Secretary from 2016 to 2018 and participated on the Board’s Nominating Committee on numerous occasions. She also acted as the Chamber’s representative to the Maryland State Chamber of Commerce.

Laura helped launch the Chamber’s Workforce Development Taskforce, a program dedicated to analyzing and addressing local workforce needs including affordable housing and public transit. Laura served as Chair from the committee’s inception in 2018 until 2022. In this capacity, she spoke at New Student Welcome Receptions hosted by Garrett College and the Chamber and assisted with the Work Ethic Diploma program, a partnership between Garrett County Public Schools and the Chamber to address workforce challenges by creating a pipeline of prospective employees who possess quality attributes desired by employers. Laura regularly attended Chamber events during her tenure—from Business After Hours mixers to Annual Dinners and Award Ceremonies. She has been a welcoming presence to many members of the organization, new and old.

Past Recipients of the Volunteer of the Year Award